witches in the SF Bay Area...

[Bill Cornelius]

Hi:
I understand that there are also native populations of Agralus vanillae (=
spelling?) in the east San Francisco bay area, and Acacia trees (Ascalaph=
a odorata hostplant) seeding wild in vacant lots.
Bill

Ernest Mengersen wrote:

> I would not be surprised if there are records and sightings of the Blac=
k Witch (Ascalapha ordorata) from every state, province or territory on c=
ontinental North America.=07 I have had several brought into our collecti=
on from Dairy farmers, car repair shops, truck stops, and off a hog manur=
e pile (that is what the farmer said - and yes - it looked like a bat.) h=
ere in south-central Alberta.=07 I have been told it is a migrant that tr=
avels here from Mexico on the wind currents.=07 Heck, if the wee tiny sun=
flower moth (Homoeosoma electellum) can move from Texas to Saskatchewan i=
n 3 to 5 days during the proper wind conditions,=07 the black witch can d=
o it too.=07 If the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) can move from=
 Baja California to central Alberta and further environs, who is to argue=
 the distribution or movement of the black witch.=07=07 No,=07 the host i=
s not present here.=07 I would be surprised if you don't have specimens i=
n the U of Alaska collection.=07 (maybe off the wind currents?)
>
> An agriculture professor who=07 teaches in Mexico told me that it gets =
its name for being a bad oman for bringing bad luck when found in the pre=
sence of pregnant ladies.=07 Somehow brings bad luck to the unborn baby.=07=
 Not something to be used or seen at weddings.
>
> Ernest Mengersen
>
> >>> James Kruse <fnjjk1 at uaf.edu> 07/13/01 01:52PM >>>
> Greetings:
>
> I have been told that very recently a live Ascalapha odorata (Black Wit=
ch -
> a very large dark brown noctuid common in Mexico) in good condition was=

> found in Berkeley, California. Not only did it make its way to the Bay =
Area
> in pretty nice shape, it ended up flying into the second story window o=
f
> Wellman Hall on the Berkeley campus... where the Essig Museum of Entomo=
logy
> is kept!!! Natural selection at work? Is this like the trophy fish that=

> jumped into the boat? Now what do you put on the label... found in the =
Essig
> Museum? duh!
>
> Anyhow, I am writing to find out if anyone in the Bay Area is rearing i=
t and
> intentionally/unintentionally released any. It is rarely found in north=
ern
> California, even though it goes _much_ further north in eastern states,=

> usually in the fall. It is even more unusual, a bizarre coincidence in =
fact,
> that it ended up in the entomology museum (under its own power). But, t=
he
> campus is pretty dark and the building is on a hill with the second sto=
ry
> windows open and the lights on almost all of the time, so I don't think=

> there is any funny business going on. Less so if someone local set some=

> loose.
>
> An odd and probably unpleasant thing to release at a wedding I should t=
hink,
> akin to releasing bats.
>
> Regards,
>
> James J. Kruse, Ph.D.
> Curator of Entomology
> University of Alaska Museum
> 907 Yukon Drive
> Fairbanks, AK, USA 99775-6960
> tel 907.474.5579
> fax 907.474.1987
> http://www.uaf.edu/museum/ento
> =07
>
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